Dreaded don Brijesh Singh arrested in Orissa

New Delhi, Jan 24 (UNI) The Delhi police's special cell has arrested dreaded eastern Uttar Pradesh mafia don Brajesh Singh, wanted in several cases of murder and kidnapping in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and even Gujarat but evading the police for over two decades, from Bhubaneshwar.

The don, who was arrested yesterday by the Special cell team lead by ACP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, with the assistance of Orissa Police, after putting up stiff resistance, was produced in a local court in Bhubaneshwar, where he was living under a fake identity for some years. Efforts are on to bring him to Delhi.

He had never been arrested ever since he escaped from police custody in 1986, a couple of years after he had started his life of crime. Though on the list of most wanted, the UP police did not even posses a recent photo of him, having to do with an old one.

Information was received that the don was shuttling between the Orissa capital and Kolkata in pursuance of his nefarious deeds and the team managed to develop the tip off, finally apprehending the elusive criminal mastermind.

Brajesh had been lying low since 2001 after being injured in an encounter with the gang members of another mafia and Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur district. He is said to be close to some bigwigs of Bharatiya Janata Party, especially the ''Thakur'' lobby. His brother Udaynath alias Chulblu Singh is a BJP MLC in the the state.

UP's State Additional Director General of Police (Crime, Law and Order and STF) Brij Lal said Brijesh's arrest will certainly put an end to criminal activities in east UP by the gang members.

The UP government had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on the head of Brajesh against whom there are at least 22 criminal cases in different parts of the state as well as Bihar and Gujarat. Apart from cases under various sections of the IPC and Gangsters Act, he also faces a TADA charge.

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